NBC’s Olympic TV schedule: U.S. women’s hockey team plays a day before opening ceremony
On the day before the opening ceremony, the U.S. women’s hockey team will go straight into the spotlight as it begins its quest to regain the gold medal.
For as big a deal as the opening ceremony is at the Winter Olympics, it has been a while since that was actually when the Olympic Games started.
That’s the case again this year, as the ice hockey and curling competitions get going before the cauldron is lit in Milan on Friday night.
Curling’s mixed doubles competition started Wednesday with a few early matchups, and on Thursday the U.S. women’s hockey team will go into the spotlight.
The Americans hope to win the gold medal back after perennial rival Canada won in 2022. Either the U.S. or Canada has won every gold since women’s ice hockey became an Olympic sport in 1998 — two for the U.S. (1998 and 2018), and five for Canada.
On top of that, every gold medal game but one has been a U.S.-Canada clash. Sweden upset the Americans in 2006 in Torino, the last time the Olympics took place in Italy.
Right now, it’s the widespread expectation that the Americans and Canadians will meet again for gold this year.
On Thursday, at 10:40 a.m., USA Network will televise the U.S. game against Czechia.
How to watch the Olympics on TV and livestreaming online
There is TV coverage on NBC’s main broadcast network; on cable channels USA, CNBC, and NBCSN; and free-to-air Telemundo and cable channel Universo in Spanish. USA’s coverage is 24/7 every day, with live events when they’re on and replays the rest of the time.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV and Sling TV. On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
» READ MORE: After striking gold in Paris in 2024, can NBC do it again at the Winter Olympics in Milan?
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays, and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference from Italy to here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
The NBC Sports and Peacock apps are available for mobile devices, tablets, and connected-TV devices including Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, and more. There’s an FAQ page on NBC’s website here with more details.
If you have a Comcast Xfinity X1 cable box, just say “Olympics” into the remote’s voice control function, and everything will come up, whether it’s on TV or online. Other cable and satellite TV providers may offer similar functions.
Here is the full event schedule for the entire Olympics, and here are live scores and results.
Thursday’s Olympic TV schedule
As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.
NBC
8 p.m.: Ice, Snow & Glory: The Winter Olympics, NBC’s preview show for the Games
USA Network
8 a.m.: Intro to Milan Cortina show
8:35 a.m.: Mixed doubles curling — United States vs. Switzerland
10:40 a.m.: Women’s ice hockey — United States vs. Czechia
1:05 p.m.: Mixed doubles curling — Italy vs. Canada
3:45 p.m.: Women’s ice hockey